


Sweet Lovin'

by Honeyduker



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Harry potter crossover except japan wizarding society y'all, and Shinji is an auror, ban izakaya gatherings, ban pocky games, ban shiyori, i don't know how to tag shit here???, pocky is filthy, pocky ruined, shiyori, what is this html coding i have to redo, wtf is this au even
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 17:49:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9000589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honeyduker/pseuds/Honeyduker
Summary: Auror Shinji, Cursebreaker Hiyori, all the pocky they do not share.   [ Loosely based off a Harry Potter AU, except Wizarding Society Japan. ]





	

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is a TBTP Cast wizarding AU I've had in mind for a long time. I won't go into the details here but I'll outline some basics.
> 
> This is a post-school fic, so there is a Japanese magic school (not mahoudokoro, because I thought that was lame tbh and not fleshed out enough.) 
> 
> The school is called Maruzan, and there are four houses: Byakko, Seiryuu, Genbu, and Suzaku. They do not really line up perfectly with the Hogwarts houses, and there is a unique sorting ceremony for Maruzan. 
> 
> Shinji is an Auror in this AU, and Hiyori is a cursebreaker/researcher, with Kisuke. I don't really go into detail onto the other canon Bleach characters in this fic, but if you have questions later/are interested fire away.
> 
> The government/ministry of Wizarding Society in Japan is mainly based in Kyoto (traditional old capital) with a few large departments in Tokyo. 
> 
> The wizarding community mainly congregates in a hidden town called Toriigakushi, in Kyoto. The entrance to it is a Kigan Ema (one of those shrine tablets you write your wishes on) in which you must write a particular Kanji on it with your wand for the entrance to reveal itself. The name Toriigakushi comes from the word 'Torii' (traditional japanese gate) and 'kakushi', as in like 'kamikakushi' which means spirited away. ;) 
> 
> Lots of OCs in this fic for some reason, I decided to include them so I'll add notes about them at the end. 
> 
> Shiyori fandom is so quiet - holler so I know you're here!

It was a Friday night, and the rows of lanterns adorning the sidewalks lit the streets aglow. Toriigakushi was as packed as always. He hadn’t been here in a couple of months, being busy with work and all, but damn, was it good to be back.

Hirako Shinji shook droplets melted snow off his cloak as he stood under the veranda of an ancient tea shop in the main street, and peered through the winding masses of people in search of certain someone.

It was then that he realised he was gathering _a lot_ of attention. He couldn’t have had been standing here, under this rickety veranda, for more than three minutes.

“Ey, that’s a senior auror from Tokyo, what’s he doing here?” One old wizard nudged his wife, and angled his head in Shinji’s general direction.

“What’s goin’ on you lot, is it a stake-out? I haven’t heard anything,” came the gruff voice of the local Izakaya bartender as he poked his head and shoulders out the entrance of his establishment. He knew Shinji, and gave him brief a nod. Shinji smirked and met the bartender’s eyes with a subtle shake of his head and a shrug, and the bartender disappeared back into the ruckus of the Izakaya inn.

Young males and females alike were ogling his uniform in awe as they walked past. This was one of the perks of working in the Ministry Auror department. The uniform did a fine job at protecting him from the elements, and it was tailored to fit his lean form. Shinji, who had always been picky with attire, thought it didn’t look half bad – despite it being an interesting mix of traditional Japanese and modern attire.

A long, double-breasted jacket with pale gold buttons had him covered for the cooling weather, and slim trousers were tucked into his own pair of leather boots. The traditional layered v-collar of a kimono was visible under his open jacket, with an obi sash tied at his midriff. A thick cloak, midnight black like the rest of the uniform, was clasped firmly around his shoulders with a pale gold auror crest, signalling his rank and department.

Shinji winked at a group of girls, puffs of fog from their kyaaas and laughter clouding the cold air as they hustled by.

He yawned. Where was this brat, he actually had news to tell her.

He’d called Hiyori fifteen minutes ago to tell her to meet him near the entrance of the street, but she’d hung up without even saying bye and was nowhere to be seen. They spoke pretty often, more than they saw each other at least, despite his work after graduation being up in the ministry at Tokyo. She never called him, though. He smiled wryly, sharp grey eyes never leaving the crowd.

“What the hell man Shinsuke, you owe me that apple crumble pie from last time! I’ll kick your ass if you say you’ve forgotten,” came an angry voice somewhere to his left, and Shinji’s ears pricked. He’d recognise that voice and that accent anywhere.

About to call out to her, his motions stilled when he heard another deeper, smoother voice. “C’mooon, Hiyorin, that was a hard won meal y’know.”

Shinji’s feet suddenly moved on their own and he felt everyone’s eyes trained on him as he stalked ahead, snow crunching beneath his feet.

“Oh yeah? Well that was mine,” he heard Hiyori retort, her voice sounding clearer this time, “I’ll show you hard won-”

Hiyori’s sentence never finished as she walked headlong into something solid, bits of powder snow falling onto her face from the impact.

Shinji looked down at the smaller figure, currently wrapped up in a scarf and toggle jacket, looking a bit too cute for someone with such a pissed off expression on their face. A small part of him growled in approval when he saw her amber eyes widen and a faint blush dust her cheeks as she stared at him.

“’Ey Sup, brat?” He raised his eyebrows a little, and grinned, “Take yer sweet time, why don’tcha. I almost half froze to death.”

“What a damn shame ya still breathing,” Hiyori quipped back without missing a beat, and punched him in the stomach. “Hage Shinji, damn, you gave me less than fifteen minutes notice, I barely got out of work, what do you expe-”

Without waiting for her to finish, Shinji reached out and deftly tugged Hiyori up against him, throwing his cloak over her.

“Amano,” murmured Shinji as he finally turned to acknowledge Hiyori’s companion with a swift nod. Their Maruzan Senpai, Amano Shinsuke smiled sheepishly and nodded back as he felt the young auror stare him down hard.

A loud “CRACK” resonated through the main street of Toriigakushi as Hirako Shinji apparated away with Hiyori in tow, leaving behind a crowd of gossiping spectators amidst the falling snow.

-

They landed in a sheltered alley just off the border of Dotonbori. Hiyori stumbled, and lightly pushed Shinji away from her.

“What’s the deal, Hage?”

Shinji ran his fingers lightly through the golden tendrils of his hair, and opened his mouth. He didn’t know what to say, because he’d initially planned to stay in Torigakushii and not apparate to … who knows where.

He wanted to tell her about his transfer approval, and maybe eat a bowl of yuba at his favourite shop, but the words, “are you seeing Amano” clumsily tumbles out of his mouth before he could catch himself and explain.

Hiyori blinked, then scrunches her nose in disapproval. “Are you mental, hage Shinji!” she yelled. Shinji winced as he felt a sharp jab at his ribs.

One hand moved to protect further onslaught to his sides, and Shinji sucks in a breath.

“Shinsuke-kun, you owe me an apple crumble~~!” mimicked Shinji in a falsetto.

“Fuck you, that is not what I sounded like.” Another kick to the shin - that one really hurt - but Shinji inwardly smiles as a sense of rhythm and familiarity finally starts coming back into his life.

He breathes out.

Hiyori falls quiet, and stares at him. “Well, what did you want to see me for?” she said huffily.

“Do I need a reason to want to see you?” Shinji does the thing, where he cocks an eyebrow and smirks. It did funny things to Hiyori’s insides, and it pissed her off. Hiyori was sure he knew it too.

“Piss off, don’t treat me like one of those random chicks you pick up in town. I don’t see you in almost three months, well it’s not like I reallywanttoseeyouanyway, and suddenly you call me asking me to meet you in ten minutes flat.” Hiyori crossed her arms and stares up at Shinji, her eyes demanding an explanation. She honestly had no idea what had brought this on - he could have just messaged her?

Shinji frowned at the accusation. “What the hell? I don’t pick up any random chicks in town,” he replied indignantly, and sighed. “So, I got the transfer to Osaka approved today. Team leader gave me the afternoon off, so yeah, I thought I’d drop by.”

Shinji furtively glances at Hiyori, unsure if this news really meant anything to her at all. Working in the Auror department in Tokyo had been something he’d wanted to at least try out since his student days at Maruzan, but something about that city just felt too erratic, too fast-paced, too empty. His year long stint in Tokyo had kept him occupied, but he’d missed roaming the narrow streets of Kyoto, listening to the soothing sound of the kamogawa river, forever present in the background. The nights felt too long as he turned in his empty bed, his dreams filled with fleeting images of a short girl in twin-tails, soft lips and the faint sweetness of pocky.

“Oh.” Hiyori looked away, her face uncharacteristically unreadable.

“Oh?” Shinji frowned. “Not happy that I’m going to be back on your turf?”

“I thought you were joking when you said you wanted to transfer back.”

“I was serious”, Shinji murmured, taking a half step forward, prompting Hiyori to turn. Their eyes met, and he held her gaze momentarily. “I missed you.”

Hiyori had no idea what that man was thinking. Completely caught off guard by Shinji’s words, she felt a tightening in her chest and her traitorous heart beat faster.

She had thought that with his move up to Tokyo, he would be swept up in the demands of his work schedule, and they’d probably drift apart sooner or later. She worried for him - not that she’d ever admit it - but she never felt like she had the standing to say too much. It was as if they were treading an invisible line, and Hiyori feared as much as she craved to know what lay on the other side.

Despite their years of friendship at Maruzan, Hiyori had always thought that those days were too good to last, and she’d prepared herself for the blow when the time came. Her brand of cynicism had been soundly proven wrong by her other close friends, but for Shinji, it was always different - he felt too close, and she never dared to hope too much.

Sure, Hiyori had missed Shinji a lot more than she cared to admit, even to herself. She misses their summer nights sitting by the river, their infamous arguments in the middle of a vast quidditch pitch, and the way he knew when she was craving a late night takoyaki crawl. She heard echoes of his rumbling laughter in hazy dreams, his lithe figure in the seiryuu keeper uniform deftly swooping through the air - three tall quidditch hoops in the backdrop against a pink sunset, the wind carrying his voice, shouting her name. She found peace in the way he fell asleep under her kotatsu after all the others leave after a late night of drinking, locks of dark blonde hair falling carelessly across his face, thin lips parted slightly, the steady rising and falling of his chest in sync to the rhythm of his even breaths. She missed everything about him, and she wanted to forget.

Or so she thought she did, but he didn’t exactly make it easy. Despite his erratic work schedule, Hiyori probably saw his face more times than classmates still in the same city as her, and his phone calls at ass o’ clock in morning were really starting to get on her nerves because she couldn’t send a fist flying through radio waves. “Damn hage!” she’d yell every time, secretly relieved he was okay, and she’d wake up next morning to a phone call she never hung up from.

Here he was now, clad in his auror uniform, telling Hiyori that he was going to be permanently back. Way to ruin her plans of forgetting about him, not that it was working out anyway. A small part of her felt incandescently content at the thought, and it was threatening to overwhelm the more logical part of her mind that told her she should be feeling conflicted. He missed her? What? Hiyori reacted the only way she knew how - a well aimed punch to stomach, and the words “suit yourself, hage!” tossed at him before she moved to exit the alley, towards the bustling crowds of muggles. “Are ya coming, or what?” she goaded, turning to look at Shinji’s doubled-over form, “Someone should really show you all the best ossan establishments in town, Kyoto boy,”

 

About one hour and seven pachinko parlours later, Shinji had finally convinced Hiyori to show him around muggle osaka for real. Woe was the day Hirako Shinji tried to show his friends around Kyoto in third year, only to find some of this favourite stalls have either been transformed into tea houses for elderly grannies, or another run-of-the-mill convenience store stocking little more than a few boxes of soda umeshu, never-ending pocky and nevermeltice. He’s never lived it down since, and here he was, paying for it again. Sigh.

“So are you going to explain that giant billboard of that guy in scant clothing doing a crane pose or … “ prompted Shinji with a raise of his eyebrows. Dusk was falling, and the light up signs and banners that cascaded down the street were mildly blinding him. The one Shinji indicated to had to be some sort of landmark, judging from it’s size and the amount of attention it was getting from the tourists.

“Oh” Hiyori blinked. “That’s just the glico man.”

“What is the glico man?” Shinji languidly leant on the metal railing bordering the canal, directly across from the billboard, “Is he some kind of muggle superhero?”

Hiyori muffled her laughter, which resulted in a faint snort as she lazily leaned her back against the rails and crossed her arms.

Shinji turned his head and looked at her. “Hey now, I asked an honest question.”

“It’s the billboard of the Glico company. They make snacks, like, muggle pocky,” informed Hiyori haughtily.

“Muggle pocky? There’s muggle pocky?”

“How stupid are you? of course there is, how else do you think I knew about the wizarding pocky gam-” Hiyori coloured, and puffed her cheeks.

It was common knowledge that maruzan students loved to crack open a box of pocky to share. Perhaps most notoriously of all, the pocky games that followed ensured that even the most straight-laced students would probably not survive the night without having locked lips with at least one person. The age old rule where the individual who draws the single stick of vanishing pocky from the box must kiss the person next to them was most avidly enforced by the large majority, Yoruichi, Kuukaku and Lisa in particular, and it was with that, that a student would find their fate for the night sealed. Old magic, Lisa called it. Vivid memories of all the times Hiyori felt her heart sink as the pocky between her teeth turns to thin air rises unbidden into her mind. She all too clearly remembers those long nights of pocky games. Shinji’s crooked smile, her apprehension, the way her mind begins to cloud as his lips cover hers, then the intense searing of an insatiable heat through her body. The entire ordeal was nothing short of delicious torture, and Hiyori no longer knew if she loved or hated the snack. She hated the guy though, that was for sure. Probably. Maybe. Kinda.

Hiyori glared up at Shinji, who winked roguishly at her but said nothing. A thick silence settled between them, and it was pretty apparent that he had a good guess as to what she had been thinking about. The playful look in Shinji’s eyes shifted into something infinitely more heated, and Hiyori smoldered under his gaze.

“If you’re thinking about anything dirty right now, I’ll throw you over the rail and into the canal, Hage Shinji,” growled Hiyori with a vehement jab of her thumb towards the body of water flowing before them.

“You’re one to talk about thinking dirty thoughts,” Shinji deadpanned back, and flicked Hiyori in the forehead, which earned him a swift punch in the arm.

Shinji cleared his throat, deciding it was smarter to change the subject. “Ah so - what does muggle pocky do?”

“Nothing really, you sorta just eat it I guess,” mumbled Hiyori.

“Does it taste better than wizarding pocky?”

“‘Bout the same.There might be more flavours though.”

“Bullshit,” said Shinji, “we have every flavour beans, how can muggle pocky have more flavours?”

“Wanna bet, hage?” Hiyori, defensive of her muggle heritage, and as a self proclaimed snack connoisseur who’s had the best of both worlds - would not back down on this one.

She would live to regret it though. Not because she was wrong, but because of Shinji’s stupid fascination with all the snacks in the muggle convenience store, she was now holding a small bag filled with at least seven different types of pocky and other various assortments of sweets.

“Never have I wasted so much time in a bloody convenience store,” Hiyori complained.

“I had fun,” replied Shinji smugly.

“You were acting so weird, you dumbass! So many people were staring at us, and your outfit doesn’t help, you look like some period drama cosplayer!!”

Shinji yawned. “I am a very hot period drama cosplayer though, thank you very much.”

“Yeah right,” muttered Hiyori.

“That’s what you said about my keeper uniform too, how’s that box of yours with the Maruzan Quidditch magazine stashed insi-” Shinji stopped talking as he noticed Hiyori had put both hands on his arms, and was steering him back towards the Dotonbori canal in a fit of silent rage.

“Okay okay, I was kinda kidding.” Shinji shook with mirth as he stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Hiyori, throwing his cloak around Hiyori once more. “The muggles are staring again… damn, why does everyone stare at me, it’s hard being so hot.”

Hiyori rolled her eyes to the heavens, blatantly ignoring her companion.

“Let’s get outta here,” Shinji murmured seductively in her ear.

Lightly nudging her a few steps into the nearest empty alley, Shinji smiled as he felt Hiyori hesitantly wrap her arms around him, and the pair apparated back towards the city of their hearts, Kyoto.

-

The scene changed quickly from a rickety dotonbori alley, back to a wide pedestrian street lined with glowing lanterns, enchanted snow, filled with the delicious scent of grilled food and sweet amazake.

Toriigakushi again, at nightfall.

“Hage Shinji, you’re not supposed to apparate right into the middle of the street, that’s basic etiquette!” chided Hiyori as she lightly pushed Shinji away from her and looked around.

“Auror privilege,” joked Shinji, “Got used to apparating into the middle of the street while on raids with the auror squad.”

Hiyori furrowed her eyebrows, but tried not to let the concern show on her face. She would never say it to his face, but she knew Shinji was an incredibly adept wizard. That did nothing to assuage her concerns about the kind of danger that came with his occupation though. Another thing she’d rather die before voicing to the man lazily strolling beside her. Without thinking, she shuffled closer to him as they walked on down the brightly lit street.

“The omamori I- I gave you before you left. Do you still have it?” Hiyori had imbued a shield charm into a traditional style omamori, and given it to Shinji before he started his job at the auror department.

Shinji reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small, slightly tattered charm. Pale pink, with the faint kanji for “omamori” embroidered across the center. “Have some faith, I carry it around every day, and haven’t popped the shield yet.”

“Good.” mumbled Hiyori, and tucked her face into her scarf to hide her embarrassment. “It’s a strong shield charm, just so you know.”

“I know,” replied Shinji softly. Hiyori took great pride in her overwhelming offensive ability when it came to magic, but Shinji recalled being confused as to her newfound interest in perfecting a powerful shield charm for the better part of a year, during their final year of Maruzan. He gave her so much shit for it too, because before this change of winds he’d teased her just as relentlessly for the gaping holes in her defense. It wasn’t until he got accepted into the Auror department and she hurled the tiny pink charm at his head, did he realise why. It was possibly the only real gift Hiyori had ever given him, and he had no intention of squandering it.

“Now you don’t look like some drama cosplayer. You just look like a total prick for apparating straight into the town center,” scoffed Hiyori as she felt eyes on them again. Damn Shinji and his ostentatious uniform.

“Yeah, but I’m a sexy prick- ow” coughed Shinji as he felt a jab to his ribs. “What’cha looking for anyway?”

“Shinsuke said that he would be catching up with a couple of other Genbu house mates for drinks, and asked if we wanted to join?”

“I don’t recall him ever asking me such a thing,” replied Shinji drily. “Sure he didn’t want just you to go? I would have invited myself anyway, if that were the case.”

“Not like you gave him a chance to talk earlier,” Hiyori glared at him and tugged him forwards. Shinji sighed. Once Hiyori decided that she wanted to do something, that was it. He decided he’d indulge her tonight, and drop by to see some old acquaintances. Not like he would have let her go by herself anyway, it’s been too long since he last spent any time with her.

The Izakaya was packed, and smokey with the aroma of grilled yakitori wafting through the air. Through the loud chatter of their many patrons drinking around low tables and tatami mats on a Friday night, Hiyori’s name could be heard as Amano Shinsuke called out to her. His shock of scruffy blond hair could be seen poking out from behind an old shoji door - ah, so they had secured a private drinking room.

Hiyori raised her eyebrows slightly and led the way towards Amano. Shinji did a quick headcount upon entering and estimated that about twenty people were in the sizable room, split between two tables. They were mostly Genbu students but a few from his own house, as well as Suzaku and Byakko. Empty cans and bare bamboo skewers littered the long tables, and the din of “‘eyyyy Hirako!!!” momentarily drowned out the noise of the neighbouring rooms altogether.

Shinji’s close circle of friends, like Kensei and Urahara, he saw often enough - but besides them, he never bothered to keep up the pretence of exchanging polite formalities with those he didn’t particularly need or want to speak to. Some of the people here he hadn’t seen since graduation, and a few seemed surprised at his Auror uniform.

Shinji nodded his head in greeting, exchanging ‘sups with the guys and lazy winks at the girls. Hiyori was immediately pulled into the midst of gaggle of girls from her year level, looking rather flustered as they questioned her in hushed voices, shooting not-so-subtle glances at Shinji every few seconds. Takano Minori, who shared a dormitory with Hiyori for six years, poked her tongue out at Shinji and made a face.

“Thought you got scouted by the Toyohashi Tengu?!” Yoshida Norio yelled in Shinji’s direction as he patted the space next to him for Shinji to sit down on a vacated zabuton. Shinji shrugged. “Got scouted yeah, but I’d probably have been a sub for a while anyway. What’s quidditch without Urahara as a commentator?”

“Hear hear. Fucking Urahara, why isn’t he here oy!” piped resident quidditch fanatic, Kiyomoto Naoki, to which Amano Shinsuke immediately answered, “he’s probably in his crazy research work mode again.”

Shinji tuned out of the conversation - he’d seen Kisuke often enough, he was his best mate after all. He wanted to get up and search for Hiyori, but before he could move, he felt a weight settle on his lap.

“Damn, that uniform looks nice on you, pretty boy,” Sekine Kaori purred appreciatively as she slung her arms around Shinji and leaned in close. “Matsumi would cry if I told her you were here. You wanna try me tonight?” a seductive wink. “Always wanted to see what you Aurors were made of.”

Kaori was a senpai from Hiyori’s house, girl with the long locks of flowing dark red hair, and Shinji knew her to be gossipy but otherwise harmless. If anything, she took her role as a senpai pretty darn seriously and Shinji knew she looked out for those around her despite her whimsical demeanor. So he more or less knew what she was up to. Well shit.

Shinji raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, smiling wryly. “I heard Keepers were better anyway,” he murmured. “But you know I haven’t been into that kind of thing for a very long time.”

Echoes of, “Kaorin, get out! That’s unfair!!” could be heard from the rest of the female occupants in the room. Kaori giggled, and put a finger to her lips in a hushing motion, “I was sitting there first, he’s technically in my seat.”

Turning back to Shinji, Kaori replied in a low tone, “Mmm I know, and you know we all know why. What’s going on with you and my cute little kouhai, hmm?”

Shinji sighed. Here we go. If he had a Ryo for every time someone started this conversation - “Nothing - and yer not helping if you keep sitting on me like someone’s cast a permanent sticking charm on us.” Leaning away a little, Shinji narrowed his eyes and scanned the room for Hiyori, but she wasn’t with the group of girls anymore.

Kaori licked her lips and shrugged, “Hiyorin probably doesn’t care anymore, she’s so freaking’ done with you bruh. Well, if I were her, I would be, anyway.”

Shinji glared at her.

Jerking her head towards the other side of the room, Kaori drew Shinji’s attention to Hiyori, who was in the middle of some petty argument with a dark haired guy, the irate twin-tailed girl raising a box of green box of pocky in the air.

“Is that Harada Nobu?” murmured Shinji icily.

Without waiting for a reply, he extricated himself from Kaori and stretched lazily towards the sky, his eyes never leaving Hiyori.

Kaori snorted and shook her head, muttering ‘fucking hopeless’, as Shinji made his way towards the adjacent table.

Covering the short distance to Hiyori’s current location in a few strides, Shinji arrived to see Hiyori vehemently bean a box of pocky at Harada’s head before he literally got pulled into idle conversation with his senpai and former house mate, Uehara Tsukasa.

 

Seemingly unaware of the attention he was attracting from the resident Auror in the house, Harada tore open the box of matcha pocky and grinned. “Man, I haven’t had muggle pocky in so long. By the way, Hiyori. I wanted to ask, are you seeing Hirako?”

Hiyori choked on the can of umeshu soda she was drinking. “I- I’m not!” she yelled.

The conversation in the room suddenly hushed for a split second, as if everyone was straining their ears to hear the tasty piece of information that they had been hoping for. Shinji momentarily stilled, but propped his head up on one elbow lazily and continued to exchange idle quidditch league banter with Tsukasa, who raised an eyebrow amusedly and flicked a glance in Hiyori’s direction.

Harada raised his eyebrows in kind, mirroring Tsukasa’s expression and chuckled. “Aight whatever. You wanna play a good old game of pocky then, for old times’ sake?” Harada winked rakishly. “Wasn’t so bad last time, was it?”

Hiyori’s face was now flaming.

Last time, they had played this game in the middle of fifth year, after their house had narrowly defeated Seiryuu in a tedious five hour long game. Hiyori, slightly tipsy off victory firewhiskey at the time, and desperate to numb herself from the particular type of pain that came from simultaneously being in love and in denial for a very, very long time, found herself lost between heated kisses with Harada Nobu on the top of the west tower.

As luck would have it, the seiryuu keeper, namely, Hirako fucking Shinji, had to pass through during one of his stupid prankster escapades with Urahara. Hiyori had spent the last five hours watching his lean form deftly looping through the skies above the quidditch pitch, keeper uniform billowing in the wind, and consequently every minute since then trying to forget about him. For Shinji to walk in on her and Harada was almost laughably bad timing, and as handsome and nice as Harada was to her, the night left Hiyori feeling more confused than ever.

Hiyori paused after processing Harada’s question, and blinked, trying to think of how to deflect her former housemate’s taunt. This prat had just blindsided her with a direct question, and she wasn’t even sure if he was joking or expected a serious answer. While Hiyori was a dab hand at messing with others when the mood hit, she could never really stomach being on the receiving end of someone’s jibes. One thing she knew for sure was that she could never take it in stride as well as some people, namely, a certain blond haired auror sitting a few seats down the low izakaya table with whom she really did not want to make eye contact with at this very moment. It was then that Hiyori realised she wasn’t hesitating because of Harada, but because she wasn’t sure if Shinji was within earshot, or if he even cared at all, and found herself questioning why any of this even mattered. Last time, long ago, on west tower, Shinji had just stared straight at her, and strode out of the room without a second glance back as Urahara chased after him.

“Get over yourself. That’s gotta be the worst game ever. Even worse if I know you’re playing.” Hiyori grit out finally. Feeling the undue attention of the people sitting nearby focused on her, she steeled herself and leaned closer to him, snatching the box of pocky out of his hands and extracting a stick. “Thought you were the one who said that we’d probably never work out anyway or whatever?” Hiyori sucked on a pocky between her teeth. “I was gonna tell you the same thing, y’know, but you beat me to the punch. I’ll share this box with you though, for old time sake, asshole. You ain’t eating this yourself.”

Shinji was no longer listening to Tsukasa’s talk about the internal dynamics of the magical law department in Kyoto, and found himself paying excessive attention to the conversation between Hiyori and Harada. That night he walked in on Harada and Hiyori in the west tower was like a bucket of ice water to the face. He would likely never forget the pale moonlight reflected on Hiyori’s smooth skin, the hazy look in her eyes and the strands of slightly disheveled hair framing her face. The moment they locked eyes she turned away, giving herself up to Harada once more. Shinji saw red and could taste the curse on the tip of his tongue. Had Urahara not stopped him and icily asked him if he had any right to intervene, he could only imagine what things would be like right now. He deserved that one, to be fair.

The pocky between Hiyori’s lips went in, then out, as she lightly sucked the hard chocolate coating off, the sugary substance melting with every deft flick of her tongue. Despite the din of the Izakaya, Shinji could hear a wet pop every time she removed the pocky from her moist cherry lips completely before continuing to patiently suck away at the chocolate coating excruciatingly slowly. He was uh, incredibly distracted.

Hiyori, still half conversing with Harada as she nibbled on her pocky, would lightly hold the pocky between her teeth and make muffled attempts to respond - “yrrhuhh” - while the red haired boy made exaggerated gestures and regaled her with stupid stories of their time at school. Shinji rolled his eyes. He must have overheard the story of the legendary chaser Shihouin Yoruichi, nosedive attacking the commentator podium, only about twenty times during the short time he’d been here tonight. If only they knew that other time she claimed she could score against Shinji in her (totally unregistered) animagus form, drunk, and then proceeded to fall off her broom and not land on her feet… Shinji sighed at the memory, and wondered if Hiyori was thinking about the same thing. She would sometimes shake her head and laugh, bantering with Harada about their old days at Genbu dorm, tales on the quidditch pitch, all star show downs... Shinji never took his eyes off her.

“Hiyori…” Harada began, more seriously this time. “Give me a chance.”

“Told ya, no fuckin’ way, boy.” replied Hiyori without missing a beat, socking Harada in the arm.

“You should let me finish!” Harada whined, as he massaged his throbbing arm. Shit, this was going to bruise. “I was gonna say, give me a chance, if you … ever get over him.”

Hiyori spat what was left of her pocky out onto the floor, feeling her heart rate exponentially jump.

“What? Who the f-”

Harada sighed loudly, and ran a hand through his hair.

“Here, have another pocky.” Popping another piece of the snack into Hiyori’s half-open mouth, Harada briefly glanced at Hirako, who caught his gaze and furrowed his eyebrows, as if daring him to continue.

Harada was not new to being stared down by the Hirako Shinji, and he gave him a petulant smirk. He briefly recalled the look in Shinji’s eyes up in the west tower all those years back, and for a moment there he really wondered if he was going to live to see the sunrise the next morning. Sure, Hirako Shinji was a lazy ass, but his dueling skills were no joke. Everyone at Maruzan knew that. Hell, now the national auror department of Japan knew that. It was a night to remember, that was for sure.

Shrugging at blond auror, and turning back to Hiyori, Harada complained, “Ahh it’s honestly a waste to eat this good pocky but no one to play the game with, so- ”

Before Hiyori could react, Harada had ducked his head and bitten off the opposing end of the Pocky hanging in Hiyori’s mouth, and Hiyori’s eyes snapped open.

Lifting her head backwards, she hastily chowed down the remainder of the pocky and thwacked Harada on the back of his head, hard.

“Harada, ya damn baldy, I told ya I hate this game!”

Harada laughed as smoothed out his hair, and noticed Shinji had shuffled back a few inches on the tattered tatami - was that guy actually about to come over here just now? Shrugging innocently at Shinji, who was now back to looking wholly disinterested in the whole ordeal - had Harada not been so familiar with that dark look in his eyes - Harada poured himself another drink and downed it in a single movement.

Hiyori stood up, deciding she’d spent too much time in this nosy prick’s company for the night, old friend or no. Wanting to look for a glass of water, and still wary of Shinji’s presence a few seats down, Hiyori made to move past him - hoping he missed the entire exchange between her and her former housemate.

Shinji appeared to be absentmindedly staring at his cup of water, hands propped up behind him, leaning backwards slightly. Uehara Tsukasa seemed to be speaking to him, looking as laid back and chill as ever. There was still a decent gap between the table and the wall that Hiyori could pass through, and she tiptoed behind Shinji.

One step. Two steps. Almost there.

Just when she thought she was in the clear, a strong hand shot out and snagged her wrist firmly, yanking her directly down… down… and Hiyori fell, straight into Shinji’s lap. His deliciously familiar scent enveloped her small frame, and she silently cursed at the way her body seemed to catch fire and react to his proximity.

Her captor held her tightly, murmuring into her ear “I don’t appreciate you giving my pocky out to others, Sarugaki-san. That’s what the magical law enforcement department would call, mmm, conversion.”

Hiyori shivered slightly to the husky timbre of his voice, and reflexively felt the need to argue with him rise within her. “Hey, fuck you, I was the one who bought those snacks. If I recall your words verbatim…” Hiyori schooled her features into her best Shinji impression, hooded eyes and lazy frown on point, “You said, _‘huuhh? a pureblood prince like me, would never carry muggle money. Buy these, Hiyoriiiiii!!!’ Hage Shinji, you asshole.”_

Squirming futilely in the arms of her captor, she struggled to free herself so she could set the facts straight. Shinji’s hold only became firmer, and it was moments like these that reminded her, while Shinji may let her kick him around and behave like quite the pushover, under that auror uniform he was lean, fit, and still very much a man.

Fuck me… Hiyori closed her eyes in frustration and breathed in. Slowly shimmying lower in Shinji’s arms, Hiyori dug her elbow into Shinji’s thigh, hard.

Shinji swore quietly under his breath and loosened his hold momentarily, but not before he leaned back so they were lying in an unsightly heap on the tatami mat. He swiftly maneuvered a bewildered Hiyori under him, pinning both her arms under his own. “Mmm alright, I said that.” Shinji replied. “But I distinctly recall that you bought them for  _me_.”

“The hell I did...”

Shinji didn’t know whether he should laugh or feel a tiny bit offended that after all these years, Hiyori still figured she could just put up her walls before him for frivolous shit like this and expect him to not be able to see right through it. She had always been actions over words anyway, and Shinji was all too familiar with the idiosyncrasies of her spitfire personality. Hiyori protested futilely, but all it took for her to give up on her half-formed excuses was for Shinji to cock an eyebrow and mouth _“really?”_

“So,” Shinji continued in his smooth voice, hooded eyes never leaving her own, “the only person you would be playing pocky games with, should - be - me.”

Shinji leaned in so close that Hiyori could count his eyelashes and almost taste his warm musky scent. “I don’t mean only here, and now.” Shinji held Hiyori’s gaze, ignoring the fact that the room had gone mostly silent and all eyes were now trained on him and the small figure beneath him. “I mean on the Maruzan west tower. And - if you feel the same way, from here on out.”

Hiyori forgot how to breathe.

Shinji leaned in ever so slightly closer, that their noses briefly touched. When Hiyori did not make to protest in that split second, but closed her eyes, that gave him the courage he needed to seal the gap between them. Shinji slanted his lips over hers and kissed Hiyori hungrily. As Hiyori responded in kind, he felt the blood in his veins turn to fire. Her lips were so very soft, and as he swept his tongue lightly against her mouth and caught the faint sweetness of pocky on her lips, he felt like he never needed to know the taste anything else ever again.

_I want this for an eternity, yet eternity is not enough._

Reluctantly pulling away the minimum amount required for Shinji to turn his head and cock an eyebrow at his friend, the auror fought to keep coherent thought as Hiyori mewled breathlessly under him. Smirking and flipping a vulgar gesture at Tsukasa, who had been uncharacteristically waggling his eyebrows at his kouhai, Shinji scooped Hiyori up. Hiyori appeared to be too embarrassed to face the crowd and kept her head turned towards his chest. He was expecting Hiyori to protest, like almost every other time he’s ever held her in his arms, but to his surprise no physical or verbal onslaught came. It was therefore understandable how Shinji felt his heart almost stop as tsundere queen Sarugaki Hiyori looped her arms around his neck, and murmured teasingly in his ear “let’s get outta here, hage shinji”, before burying her face into the crook of his neck, and flicking a small pink tongue out to lick the sensitive skin there. It was amidst the shameless “oooooooohs” and din of loud cheering, that everyone present saw for possibly the first time, Hirako Shinji look truly flustered, cheeks dusted pink, and the room erupted in raucous applause as the iconic duo apparated from the establishment with a loud crack.

**Author's Note:**

> Character notes (Characters appear in varying degrees in this particular story)
> 
> Hirako Shinji  
> Blood status: Pure  
> Wand: Mulberry wood, Amikiri Claw, 11 ¾ ”, swishy  
> Extra-curricular: Quidditch team Keeper, Captain, Zanjutsu club
> 
> Tag team duo causing every manner of trouble at Maruzan, the teachers have no idea what to do with Urahara and Hirako anymore. Spends too much time maintaining his hair. Maruzan’s sexiest keeper. Says Unohana was his first love, no one knows how he is still alive and breathing. 
> 
> *
> 
> Sarugaki Hiyori  
> Blood status: Joujin Umare  
> Wand: Black Pine, Dragon tooth, 11”, unyielding  
> Extra-curricular: Quidditch regular, Beater 
> 
> Non-magical lineage, loves sweets, cannot express what she feels, will fight for you and also will fight you. Doesn’t have many personal belongings but has a box of important personal effects. Contains some recipes, old photos, some emergency snack funds strung on an old piece of string, a small torch on a keychain (total joujin thing, what is Lumos?) Maruzan letter of acceptance, a Quidditch mag with the headline “If your guy looks like this, then he’s a keeper! Turn to p.07 to read more” in oddly good condition, couple of hairpins.
> 
> *
> 
> Amano Shinsuke (Pureblood, easy-going, outspoken, pretty good at zanjutsu and fairly decent at quidditch, sings out of tune, slightly forgetful. Cute, short and fluffy light coloured hair, grey eyes. Always has a double helping of apple crumble if it’s served at dinner. Takes too long in the ofuro. Spoils Daifuku, and often has bits of fluffy dog fur stuck onto his coat he forgets to dust off. ) +1 year GENBU (This guy irrationally pisses Shinji off because Hiyori will go “Shin” and both of them turn around in the corridor, “-suke”. Let’s be honest here though when does Hiyori ever call Shinji just “Shinji” without the hAGE in front heh) 
> 
> Sekine Kaori (pureblood, waist length reddish-brown hair, average looking but cute, lives for the gossip, will share pocky with everyone, will rub her cold hands over you. ) (+1 Year ) GENBU 
> 
> Uehara Tsukasa (muggle born, fairly handsome, deep blue hair, medium short swept to the side, tall. Probably plays neko atsume, soft spoken, unsporty, likes the subjects everyone else hates, tells bad jokes. Surprisingly popular.) ( +1 Year ) SEIRYUU
> 
> Kiyomoto Naoki ( pureblood, Good sense of humour, chill, likes warm weather, quidditch enthusiast, wakes up surprising early every day. Sleeps till 2pm on weekends though and parties till 2am. Loves birds. ) (Same year), SUZAKU 
> 
> Harada Nobu (half-blood, funny, self-deprecating, lots of issues with abusive family, good looking, medium red hair in short ponytail, blue eyes, average height) (same year) GENBU
> 
> Wakamatsu Mio (half blood, average looking, shoulder length dark hair, too nice, always stressed about everything, insecure mess, says sorry all the time, has a new crush every month. Not bad at Quidditch but should probably quit because of the stress it gives her LOL. Nicknamed Matsumi.) Same year, SEIRYUU 
> 
> \---
> 
> Thanks for reading and being a part of this tiny fandom lol <3 
> 
>  
> 
> ~~yes i took the title from Sigala's song~~
> 
>  
> 
> Shout out to Paws-bells, kinda her fault that pocky became like this, actually all Shiyori things in general ;)  
> Crys, who lost her soul to this HP au with me, thank her for the greatness of this au and she has so much stuff on Kisuke is2g  
> Uta-chan, who read this scrappy fic and motivated me to keep writing <3


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